Collating mechanism



Feb. 26, 1957 A. NovlcK 2,782,898

coLLATING MECHANISM Filed April 14, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS l INVENTOR Abra/1am /VoV/t'lf Q. VTQ

Feb. 2G, 1957 A. NovlcK 2,782,898

COLLATING MECHANISM Filed April 14, 1955 s sheets-sheet a INVENTOR Abra/1am Nov/ck BY MM M 7' ATTORNEYS .,f

Feb. 26, 1957 A, NOVICK COLLATING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed April 14, 1955 INVENTOR. Abraham Nor/'ck ATTORNEY .S

CLLATING MECHAN ISM Abraham Novich, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to F. I.

Smithe Machine Co., lne., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 14, 1955, Serial No. 501,416

7 Claims. (Cl. 198-35) This invention relates to collating mechanism for rearranging blanks which are being advanced at high speed in spaced out condition into a slow moving band of blanks arranged in overlapped or fanned out relation. Mechanism of this kind is desirable in envelope manufacture, for example, whenever the blanks are first fed in individualized or spaced out condition for an operation requiring such spacing, such as printing, patching etc., and are thereafter marginally gummed by fan out gumming mechanism. Another situation in which individualization followed by collation into fanned out formation is required occurs in web fed envelope machines. In such machines rhombic blanks are successively cut from a continuously fed web and, after notching, are required to be collected into fanned out formation.

Basically, the collating of individualized blanks into farmed out formation involves the transfer of the blanks from a fast feeding mechanism to a slow feeding mechanism, with provision for assuring that the blanks will be overlapped in an orderly and regular manner, and without interference betwen successive blanks as a blank is carried forward at high speed into overlapping relation with its retarded predecessor. lt is important that the rearrangement be effected without any interruption of feeding control, and that the blanks, when rearranged, shall be accurately aligned and uniformly related as to overlapping, for cooperation with the mechanism which follows.

lt has heretofore been thought essential in a high speed machine to allow an interval after a blank is discharged by the high speed feeding means beforethe slow speed feeding means takes over. An example of a mechanism which allows such an interval is found in United States Patent No. 1,385,468, granted to Pflanze on July 26, 1921. ln a machine of the Pflanze type, each blank is normally hurled forward by the high speed feeding means into the feed bight of the slow speed feeding means. There is a hiatus in the control of the blank as it travels forward under its own momentum, and during the period l Patent i of hiatus the trailing edge of the blank becomes free to drop under the influence of gravity from the level dictated by the high speed feeding means below the feed path of the leading edge of the next oncoming blank, so that overlap may be brought about without conict.

ln machines of the Pflanze type, inching or hand operation of the machine is required when adjustments for new work are being made. Under these conditions the speed ratio of the fast feeding means and the slow feeding means is the same as before, but even the fastv feeding means is operated very slowly. A blank is not, therefore, hurled forward into the bight of the slow feeding means by the fast feeding means, but is allowed to come to rest short of the bight of the slow feeding means. When so deposited, it is not picked up and advanced further by the slow feeding means, but simply lies in the way of the next following blank, to be struck and thrust forward in a random manner, out of time of action of the paddles.

2,782,898 Patented Feb. 26, 1957 r ice l with the other blanks and out of parallelism with them. The action of the disarranged blank cannot be relied upon to show the operator what adjustments are required in order to coordinate the operating parts for each new set-up of the machine.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a collating mechanism comprising the combination of fast and slow feeding means, so related that the fast feeding means advances the blank into the bight of the slow feeding means without interruption of blank control, yet with provision for permitting gravity descent of the trailing edge of each blank below the feed path of the leading edge of the next following blank before it is overtaken by the following blank, and this regardless of whether the machine is operated at normal speed or at manual or inching speed.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing a portion of a blank conveyor which forms part of an envelope machine in which an illustrative embodiment of the invention is included;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, on a larger scale than Figure l, showing principally the collating mechanism illustrative of the present invention and Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view on the same scale as Figure 3, showing substantially the mechanism shown in Figure 3.

The invention is illustratively shown as embodied in an envelope machine in which the blanks are rst advanced in spaced out or individualized relation at high speed for a preparatory operation and are thereafter rearranged into fanout formation for seal flap gumming and drying.

Since the nature of the particular operation performed on the blanks as they travel in spaced out relation at high speed is not important here, no particular operating mechanism has been shown, but the blanks 10 are shown as being advanced in individualized relation at high speed on a roller conveyor 11 which carries the blanks forward after such operation to a collating station at which they' are rearranged into fan-out relation.

The conveyor 11 comprises a series of roller couples 12-14, 16-18, Ztl- 22, 24-26, 2S36 and l2-34, all traveling at the same, relatively high peripheral speed.

In preparation for the performance of fan-out gumming, it is necessary that the spaced blanks be collated into overlapped relationship.

This is preformed as shown in Fig. 3, where the envelope blank travels in an upper plane on a guide table 36, is seized in the bight of the final feed couple 32--34 of conveyor 11, and is propelled by these rollers under a downwardly deecting guide 38 into a lower plane on a table 40, and from there onto a slowly moving belt 42. Paddles 44 which are made of soft rubber engage the central portion of each blank and frictionally assist and continue the propulsion of the blank as its rear end passes out of the bight of the rollers 32 and 34. The paddles 44 form unitary parts of a wheel which is fast on a driven shaft 48. The paddle wheel 46 is desirably driven at a peripheral speed equal to that of the roller 32. The propulsion of the blank by the roller 46 is Acontinued until the forward edges of the blanks engage gathering rollers 59 and 52 which move at the slow speed of belt 42. After that the paddles slide over the blank without advancing it, until the leading margin of the next following blank comes into the field l The rollers 50 and 52 are made of small diameter, the diameter of the rollers,

as shown, being about equal to the distance that the rollers advance a blank in a full cycle of the machine. The bight between the rollers 50 and 52 on the one hand, and the slow moving belt 42 on the other, is therefore closely defined, as distinguished from the uncertain eX- tent which the bight would have if the rollers were large. As a consequence, the spacings between the individual blanks is sufliciently accurate to enable the subsequent mechanism to operate upon the blanks properly.

An important feature of the use of the paddle wheel 46 is that in inching or slow hand turning of `the machine, which is necessary whenever the requisite adjustments incident to a new run of work are made, the comparatively fast blank feeding is continued by the wheel 46 after the blank has cleared the bight of the rollers 32 and 34. If there were no such paddle wheel 46 the blank would hang just clear of the bight between 32 and 34, and be struck by the next oncoming blank. This would result in a mix-up.

By including the wheel 46 as a part of the fast feeding means any hiatus in control between the fast feeding means and the slow feeding means is avoided, and provision is made and gravity descent of lthe trailing edge of each blank clear of the path of the oncoming leading edge of the next following blank in time to avoid interference is assured, even when the machine is operated manually or by inching.

Hold-down guides 54 overlie the blank path and extend into proximity to the band of blanks near the rollers 59 and 52.

It is a point that the impositive feeding wheel 46 engages only a narrow central feed zone, and that the rollers 50 and 52 are also narrow rand are disposed in transverse alignment with one another and well out from the central feed zone of the wheel 46. This arrangement enables a skewed blank to be substantially straightened by the conjoint action of the wheel 46 and the rollers 50 @and 52. Whichever of `the rollers 50 and 52 is engaged first by the blank and is 'slowed down to the peripheral speed of `the engaged roller, the point of engagement becomes substantially a fulcrum about which the blank turns. With three point engagement, the blank is quickly adjusted into a substantially straight condition.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiment shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A mechanism for rearranging spaced out blanks into fanned out relation for marginal gumming so that each blank overlaps its predecessor, in combination, slow feeding means comprising a slow moving conveyor, rollers forming with the conveyor a feed bight, the conveyor being adapted to feed the blanks in fanned out relation and at a comparatively low level, and relatively fast feeding means disposed to advance each blank at a relatively high level over the preceding blanks which are already in the feed bight of the slow feeding means, said fast feeding means including a feed member disposed above the blank feed path and near enough to the feed bight to control and continue the feeding of each blank through engagement with the upper face thereof until it has been obstructed by engagement with the feed bight forming rollers of the slow feeding means, the construction and arrangement being such that each blank is caused to arrive at the feed bight on a definite time schedule, to be substantially squared at the bight, and to be thereafter taken under positive control by the slow feeding means.

2. In a mechanism for rearranging spaced out blanks into fanned out relation for marginal gumming so that each blank overlaps its predecessor, in combination, slow feeding means comprising a slow moving conveyor, rollers forming with the conveyor a feed bight, the conveyor being adapted to feed the blanks in fanned out relation and at a comparatively low level, and relatively fast feeding means disposed to advance each blank at a relatively high level over the preceding blanks which are already in the feed bight of the slow feeding means, said fast feeding means including a feed member disposed above the blank feed path and near enough to the feed bight to thrust each blank into the bight of the slow feeding means and to cause the trailing end of the blank to be deprived of support so that it will fall below, and clear of, the fast feed path of Athe following blank without any interruption of blank control, and before its trailing edge has been overtaken by the leading edge of the next following blank.

3. in a mechanism for rearranging spaced out blanks into fanned out relation for marginal gumming so that each blank overlaps all but a narrow leading margin of its predecessor, in combination, slow feeding means comprising a slow moving conveyor, rollers disposed above the conveyor and forming with the conveyor a slow feed bight, and fast feeding means disposed to cyclically deliver the spaced out blanks one by one at comparatively high speed on top of the last blank of the group held in said feed bight, and into the feed bight of the slow feeding means, the bight-forming rollers being of a diameter not substantially greater than the distance that a blank is advanced by the slow feeding means during a cycle of the machine, so that a short, sharp bight is formed for accurately aligning the blanks.

4. A mechanism for rearranging spaced out blanks into fanned out relation for marginal gumming so that each lblank overlaps its predecessor, in combination, slow feeding means comprising a slow moving conveyor, rollers forming with the conveyor a feed bight, the conveyor `being adapted to feed the blanks in fanned out relation and at a comparatively low level, and relatively fast feeding means for advancing each blank over the preceding blanks whic-n are already in the feed bight of the slow feeding means, said fast feeding means being constructed and disposed to thrust each blank into the bight of the slow feeding means without any interruption of blank cont-rol, to maintain the trailinfl margin of each blank under control and at an elevation above the feed plane of the slow feeding means until after `the leading edge of the blank has reached that plane, and to release `the trailing edge of the blank for gravity descent before its trailing edge has been overtaken by the leading edge of the next following blank, the final element of the fast feeding means consisting of an impositive feeding means `disposed to act in a narrow intermediate zone of blank feeding, and the slow feeding means comprising narrow feed rolls disposed in transverse alignment at opposite sides of said intermediate feed zone and widely spaced from such intermediate feed zone.

5. A mechanism for rearranging spaced out blanks into fanned out relation for marginal gumming so that each blank overlaps its predecessor, in combination, slow feeding means comprising a slow moving conveyor, rollers forming with the conveyor a feed bight, the conveyor being adapted to feed the blanks in fanned out relation and at `a comparatively low level, and relatively fast feeding means for advancing each blank over the preceding blanks which are already in the feed bight of the slow feeding means, said fast 'feeding means being constructed and `disposed to thrust cach blank into the bight of the `slow feeding means without any interruption of blank control, -to maintain the trailing margin of each blank under control and at an elevation above the feed plane of the slow feeding means until after the leading edge of tne blank has reached that plane, and to release the trailing edge of the `blank for gravity `descent before its trailing edge has been overtaken by the leading edge of the next following blank, the final element of the fast feeding means consisting of an impositive feeding means disposed to act in a narrow intermediate zone of blank feeding, and the slow feeding means comprising narrow feed rolls disposed in transverse alignment at opposite sides of said intermediate feed zone and widely spaced from such intermediate feed zone, the narrow feed rolls being of a diameter comparable with the distance that` a blank is fed by them during a machine cycle, and therefore small enough to define sharply the limit of their feed bight.

6. In a mechanism 'for re-arranging spaced out blanks into fanned out relation for marginal gumming, so that each blank overlaps its predecessor, in combination, slow feeding means at a -relatively low level comprising a slow conveyor, rollers disposed above the conveyor and forming with the conveyor a feed bight, 'the conveyor being disposed to feed the blanks in fanned out relation, and relatively fast 'feeding means at a relatively `high level for said spaced out blanks disposed to deliver the said spaced out blanks one by one at comparatively high speed on top of the last blank of the group held in said bight, said fast feeding means serving to continuously apply high speed propelling force to each blank substantially until it has entered the grip of the slow feeding means.

7. In a mechanism for re-arranging spaced out blanks into fanned out relation for marginal gumming, so Ithat each blank overlaps its predecessor, in combination, slow feeding means comprising a slow conveyor, rollers forming with the conveyor a feed bight, the conveyor being disposed to feed the blanks in fanned :out relation, and relatively fast rotary 'feeding means for said spaced out blanks for continuously applying =high speed propelling force to each blank substantially until it has entered the grip of the slow feeding means, the rollers forming the feed bight with the conveyor being of a diameter comparable with the distance between the forward edges of the overlapped blanks.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,274,075 Bombard Feb. 24, 1942 

